The field of this invention is semiconductor devices and, more particularly, is the formation of high dielectric constant materials.
As semiconductor structures shrink, the scaling of the gate dielectric is necessary. Traditionally the gate dielectric consists of SiO2. SiO2, however, will not suffice for the dimensions needed for future technology. Alternately, high dielectric constant (high K) materials are being pursued as replacements for SiO2. During the processing of high K materials, interfacial SiO2 formed on the Si substrate is difficult to prevent or remove. This SiO2 interfacial layer is typically around 10 to 15 Angstroms in thickness. A thinner layer of SiO2 such as 7 Angstroms is desirable in order to provide a good Sixe2x80x94SiO2 interface with minimal interfacial states. One way to decrease the thickness of the SiO2 layer is to lower the temperature of the oxygen flow rate during formation of the high K material. This results, however, in an oxygen deficient or xe2x80x9cleakyxe2x80x9d film. An O2 anneal is therefore needed to decrease the leakage of the high K material, but the O2 anneal will cause the SiO2 layer to increase in thickness. In addition, the processing at low temperature increases non-uniformity of the SiO2 layer and results in a poor quality high K material. Therefore, a need in the industry exists for a process for forming a high K material with a thin, high quality SiO2 layer.